Physico-mechanical, colour and chemical properties of selected cherry laurel genotypes of Turkey

This study was carried out to determine the physico-mechanical (geometric, volumetric, fricitional, fruit removal force, compression force and puncture force), colour and chemical properties (titratable acidity, soluble solid content and pH) of three cherry laurel genotypes (54 K 01, 55 K 07 and 61 K 04)  cultivated in Turkey. The geometric properties such as geometric mean diameter and sphericity were found in the range of 13.3 to 17.4 for fruit, 8.3 to 9.6 mm for fruits pit and 6.1 to 6.9 mm for kernel of cherry laurel 54 K 01, 55 K 07 and 61 K 04 genotypes, respectively. 54 K 01 cherry laurel genotye had the highest volumetric properties such as bulk densit and true density for fruits, whereas, 55 K 07 genotype for stone had the least values among these three cherry laurel genotypes for these properties. 54 K 01 genotype had the highest colour values for L*, a*, and b* of fruits as 24.1, 16.2, 2.4 and its stone as 40.8, 11.2, 14.3 among three cherry laurel genotypes, 54 K 01 had the lowest L*, a*and b* values for kernel of cherry laurel fruits as 42.0, 7.7 and 12.9, respectively. The fruit removal force ranged from 0.38 to 0.59 N, whereas, the puncture force for X-, Y-, Z- axes from 0.39 to 0.75 N; from 0.37 to 0.65 N, from 0.39 to 0.55 N, among three cherry laurel genotypes, respectively. The static friction coefficient of cherry laurel fruit, its stone and kernels changed from 0.29 to 0.72 (fruit), 0.41 to 0.93 (stone), from 0.34 to 0.60 (kernel), respectively. The coefficient of friction of cherry laurel fruit, its stone and kernels were largely influenced by the friction surfaces studied, and highest values were found genotypes.  It is important to determine physico-mechanical (geometric, volumetric, frictional, fruit removal force, puncture) and rupture force, colour and chemical properties of particular fruit, its stone and kernels for selected cherry laurel genotypes which may increase fruit quality, economic value for harvest and post harvest technologies. Therefore, these properties should be considered.